Christmas Collection
by cleotheo
Summary: A collection of Dramione pieces all set around the festive period. A light, fluffy and fun festive collection.
1. Christmas at Malfoy Manor

**A/N - Welcome to my new collection series, which is christmas based. I will be posting several pieces over the course of December. Like my other collections pieces a lot of these have the potential to be turned into a longer story, or incorporated into a longer story just not necessarily set at christmas, so parts of these pieces or even the whole piece might pop up again in my future stories. But for now I hope people enjoy this festive collection.**

* * *

 **Christmas at Malfoy Manor.**

Hermione had always loved Christmas, and she found the festive season all the more special at Malfoy Manor. Hermione's first Christmas at the manor had occurred during seventh year, when her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, had brought her home to meet his parents. Now it was a tradition and the couple spent every Christmas as Malfoy Manor. Christmas Eve was spent with Hermione's parents, and Boxing Day split between their friends, but on Christmas Day there was nowhere the couple would rather be than the vast manor in the Wiltshire countryside.

Malfoy Manor looked spectacular at any time of year, but during Christmas it turned into a proper winter wonderland. The large tree in the front room could rival anything Hogwarts had to offer, and it was always stunningly decorated in shades of green and silver. Festive garlands and other decorations were in place in the rest of the manor, but it never looked too much. As for the grounds, they were covered in snow from the first day of December, and if it didn't snow for real, and enchantment created the snow. And of course the house elves always shone at Christmas and food and drink were plentiful over the festive season.

When Hermione had first started coming to the manor, she'd objected to the use of house elves. However, Narcissa had taken her to meet the elves and she'd been reassured that the Malfoys elves were all treated fairly. They weren't free, as Hermione so desired for house elves, but they were all treated kindly and more importantly they loved serving the Malfoys. To the elves, they were doing what they were born to do, and they couldn't be happier, so Hermione had never pushed for them to be freed.

Normally, Draco wasn't an early riser, but on Christmas he was always up bright and early, and when Hermione woke, she found her boyfriend was already out of bed and standing at the window. Hermione took a moment to admire her boyfriend's naked backside, before sliding out of bed herself, and padding over to Draco. Like Draco, she was completely naked, but thanks to the confidence Draco gave her, she was proud of her body and wasn't embarrassed about her nakedness.

"Morning," she greeted, wrapping her arms around Draco's waist and pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

"Morning gorgeous," Draco replied, pulling Hermione around his body so she was standing in front of him.

"Is that real snow?" Hermione asked, gazing at the fat snowflakes that was falling from the sky. She may have been coming to the manor for several years, but she still couldn't tell the difference between real snow and Lucius's fake snow.

"I think so," Draco answered. Even with all his years of living at the manor, he was never quite sure if the snow was real or not until he went outdoors, but it seemed real enough that morning. "Do you want to go and find out?"

"Without our clothes?" Hermione chuckled. "I think we'd end up with frostbite in some rather unfortunate places."

"I could warm you up," Draco offered, his hands sliding over Hermione's stomach and up towards her bare breasts.

"Not in the snow you couldn't," Hermione laughed, leaning her head back against Draco's shoulder and closing her eyes as his warm hands massaged her breasts.

"True, maybe the snow isn't the ideal place to be naked," Draco conceded as he nuzzled at Hermione's neck. "We'd have to get dressed first."

Hermione's eyes flew open at the suggestion and she turned her head to look at her boyfriend. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked with a confused frown.

"For as long as I've been with you, you've never suggested we put clothes on," Hermione replied. "If anything, you're always trying to get them off me."

"You do look good naked," Draco replied with a grin. "But I'd rather you didn't get frostbite when we went outside."

"I'd rather avoid that as well," Hermione agreed. "But why do we have to get dressed and go outside now? The snow will still be there in an hour or so."

"Now you're talking," Draco said, pulling Hermione backwards towards the bed. "No clothes for at least another hour."

Laughing at her boyfriend, Hermione tumbled back onto the bed with Draco, where they proceeded to make the most of their hour without clothes. When they did finally tear themselves away from each other, they grabbed a quick shower before bundling themselves up to face the elements.

A morning walk was another tradition at the manor on Christmas Day, and Hermione always loved to explore the stunning grounds of her boyfriend's childhood home. Sometimes the couple ran into Draco's parents on their walk, but that morning they were alone as they wandered around the manor gardens.

"I love it here, it's so beautiful," Hermione sighed when they paused in the rose gardens, beside the frozen lake.

"It is," Draco agreed as he magically cleared the snow from the bench beside the lake. As he suspected it had been real snow falling that morning and it had mingled with the fake snow perfectly.

"You're so lucky growing up in such a lovely house," Hermione said as she sat down on the bench Draco had cleaned and then warmed up.

"When I said that in school, you called me a show off," Draco argued.

"That's because you tended to brag about your large house," Hermione pointed out.

"Let's face it, if you lived here, you would brag," Draco replied with a smirk.

"Not to the extent you did," Hermione protested.

Draco chuckled in response as he wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and slid along the bench so they were snuggled together. Hermione was content to sit in silence, enjoying the Christmas morning with her boyfriend, when she noticed it was snowing again. Draco also noticed and cast a spell around the bench so they weren't disturbed by the snow.

"Is that snow blue?" Hermione asked after a few minutes, staring at a flurry of blue snowflakes that were falling in front of her eyes.

"Blue?" Draco frowned. "Wow, you're right, it is blue," he said with a nod when he realised his girlfriend was right.

"How?" Hermione asked, watching the snow falling.

Hermione frowned over the snow, trying to work out what was happening. The snow was definitely pale blue, but as she watched it land on the ground in front of them, it turned a darker shade of blue.

"This is magic," Hermione declared, scrutinising the snow.

"Is it?" Draco asked, a sly smile creeping onto his face.

"What's going on, Draco?" Hermione asked, turning to her boyfriend.

"Watch and see," Draco replied cryptically.

Turning back to the snow, Hermione watched as it continued to fall. Ever so slowly the snow that had fallen began to take shape on the floor. Because the fresh snow was blue, it as easy for Hermione to make out the shape on the floor and she was amazed to see her own name being spelled out.

"What are you up to, Draco?" Hermione asked.

"Patience," Draco replied with a chuckle.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned back to the snow only to find it was falling faster than before. While her name had taken several minutes to appear, it didn't take as long for the rest of the message to start taking shape. 'Hermione will you', was soon visible on the floor and when the blue flakes began to form the next word, Hermione gasped when the letters 'mar' appeared.

"Yes," she cried, turning to Draco.

"Yes what?" Draco asked innocently.

"Yes, I'll marry you," Hermione replied.

"How do you know I'm asking you to marry me?" Draco teased. "The message hasn't even finished yet."

"What else could it be going to say?" Hermione asked, but she did as Draco wanted and turned back to watch the word marry fully materialise on the ground. "See," she crowed once the words, 'Hermione will you marry me?' were visible in the snow.

"Looks like you were right," Draco laughed.

"And that's all you've got to say?" Hermione asked, arching her eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Isn't there more to this proposal? I think you're missing something."

"I think you're right," Draco agreed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black velvet box he'd slipped in before they'd left the manor. Flicking the box open, he showed Hermione the dazzling diamond ring he'd bought for her.

"It's gorgeous," Hermione gasped. "And my answer is still yes."

"That's a relief," Draco replied with a grin. Plucking the ring from the box, he slid it onto Hermione's left hand. "It suits you."

"You suit me," Hermione said, throwing her arms around Draco's neck and giving him a deep kiss. "I love you, Draco."

"I love you too," Draco replied quietly. Expressing his emotions wasn't exactly his forte, but he had no problems with letting Hermione know just how much she meant to him.

The couple remained outside for a couple more minutes, before they headed back to the manor to share the good news with Lucius and Narcissa. Hopefully by next Christmas, Hermione would be at the manor as another Malfoy, and then in the future there would be a whole new generation of Malfoys to enjoy Christmas at Malfoy Manor.


	2. The Christmas Card

**A/N - This is one of the pieces which I want to develop further, but for now enjoy this piece.**

* * *

 **The Christmas Card.**

Straightening his robes, Lucius Malfoy waited for the rest of his family to turn up so they could take their traditional Christmas picture. Every year the Malfoys took a Christmas picture that was turned into the card they would pass out throughout the festive season. The tradition had started with Lucius's parents, and he'd carried it on with Narcissa and Draco. However, it was the first time in several years that Draco would be on the picture, and now he would be accompanied by his wife and children.

When he was younger, Draco had loved the tradition, but as he got older he'd tried to dodge the pictures. Not that Lucius had let him dodge the pictures, and he'd always maintained that Draco would be on the pictures as long as he lived at the manor. However, once he'd finished school, Draco had left home and he hadn't been on a Christmas picture ever since.

In fact, Draco hadn't just left home, he'd left the country. He'd gone travelling with his best friend, Blaise Zabini, and when he'd met and fallen in love in with his former school adversary, Hermione Granger, he'd stayed in Italy, where Hermione had been working at the time. The couple had been in Italy ever since, but they'd made the decision to move home after Hermione had given birth to twins three months ago. Now they were back living at the manor, and since it was going to be their first Christmas back home, it was time for them to take part in the family tradition of having their picture taken for the Malfoys Christmas card.

"I can't believe you're making us do this," Draco grumbled as he entered the living room, glaring at his father.

"It's a tradition," Lucius replied with an unconcerned shrug, as he checked his son was in his dress robes. Since the picture would be going out to all sorts of people, Lucius preferred everyone to be dressed up and looking their best. "Where's everyone else?"

"Hermione and mother are sorting the twins," Draco answered. "Scorpius decided to be sick over his sister just as she'd been dressed."

"It's typical of your son to be causing trouble," Lucius muttered. He adored both of his grandchildren, but even at three months old he suspected Scorpius was going to be a handful and a typical mischievous Slytherin.

"Maybe he's as unimpressed with this tradition as I am," Draco retorted.

"You never complained when you were younger," Lucius pointed out.

Draco opened his mouth to make a smart retort, but he never got a chance to reply to his father, as his mother swept into the room, carrying Scorpius in her arms. Narcissa was wearing a gorgeous set of pale green dress robes, and Scorpius was looking adorable in a pair of black robes. Draco took his son off his mother, and was just about to ask about his wife when she made her appearance with Lyra, their daughter. Normally Hermione didn't wear robes, preferring muggle style clothing, but she'd made an exception for the picture and was wearing a flattering set of deep green robes. Lyra was also in a set of fancy robes, and like her mother's and grandmother's, they were green.

"How perfect, we're all co-ordinated," Lucius said with a beaming smile as he took in his beautiful family.

"We thought you would appreciate the green," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"I do," Lucius said with a nod. "Now let's get into place and get this done."

"Yes, lets," Draco mumbled.

While the Malfoys had been gathering and bickering among themselves, a professional photographer had been setting up in the corner of the room. The photographer had taken the Malfoys picture for the past few years, but this was the first time he was taking a picture of the entire family. Once he had taken the family portrait, Lucius had also paid him to take a series of pictures of his two grandchildren.

"How do you want us?" Lucius asked as the family gathered in front of the ornate Christmas tree.

"Lucius you stand to the left, with Narcissa beside you," the photographer answered, taking charge of the scene. "Now if we get a couple of chairs, Hermione and Draco can sit with the children on their laps. Draco if you sit with Lyra in front of your mother, and Hermione can sit with Scorpius in front of Lucius."

A couple of minutes later, Lucius had summoned two chairs and the family were in place. With the tree in the background, several pictures were taken of the Malfoy family, so Lucius could then pick the best picture. Once the family pictures were over, the twins then took their turn in front of the camera.

"Thank you for this, Lucius," Hermione said, watching as the photographer got some adorable pictures of her two children. "The pictures are going to be wonderful."

"Of course they are, my grandchildren make splendid subjects," Lucius replied.

Hermione chuckled at Lucius's response, used to his pride in Scorpius and Lyra. There was no doubt that Lucius adored both his grandchildren, and Hermione knew the fact they weren't purebloods didn't bother him. He'd been a bit wary of her muggleborn status when she'd first gotten together with Draco, but to his credit he'd learnt to accept it and she knew it was no longer an issue. No matter what their blood, Hermione knew Lucius loved everyone in his family, including her.

"They're loving the limelight," Hermione chuckled. Scorpius and Lyra were giggling quite happily from where they were lying under the Christmas tree.

"Draco was the same when he was younger," Lucius confided. "He would pose for hours whenever a camera appeared."

"Now you're lucky to get him in front of the camera," Hermione laughed.

"He'll have to get used to it," Lucius said with a shrug. "Now you're all home, I'll expect you all on the card every year. Besides, we looked stunning."

Hermione chuckled at Lucius yet again, but she had to agree with him. Before he started taking pictures of the children, the photographer had shown them some of the pictures he's taken of the family, and they were impressive. They made a beautiful family, and Hermione had no doubt that the Malfoys Christmas card this year was going to be one of the best.

()()()()()

The week before Christmas the Ministry of Magic was looking very festive, but work still needed to be done, and Aurors Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, headed to the Minister's office to discuss their latest case. A couple of years ago, the old Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had retired and the job had gone to Harry and Ron's boss, Kingsley Shackelbolt. Harry and Ron had actually know Kingsley since before they joined the Ministry as he'd been part of the Order of the Phoenix which had helped defeat Voldemort during the pair's fifth year at Hogwarts, so there was a friendly atmosphere in the office as they briefed the Minister on their latest case.

"It's nice to know I've left the Auror department in such good hands," Kingsley remarked with a chuckle.

"We try to live up to your high standards," Harry replied.

"Now you're just trying to flatter me," Kingsley said with a smile as his secretary poked her head around the door and informed him she needed a word. "I'll not be a minute," he said to Harry and Ron as he got to his feet and left the office.

"Look at all these cards," Ron remarked once they were alone in the office. Dotted all over Kingsley's office were Christmas cards of all shapes and sizes.

"He is Minister of Magic," Harry replied with a shrug. "I bet loads of people he's never even met send him cards."

"Probably," Ron agreed, getting to his feet and wandering over to a nearby shelf and nosing at a few cards.

Ron never sent cards, although when he spotted a couple of cards from colleagues, he wondered if he should have made an exception with the Minister. However, before he could express his doubts with Harry, he spotted a card that took his breath away. Standing on the shelf was a glossy card which read 'Christmas Greetings', and underneath was a picture of the Malfoy family. But it wasn't just Lucius, Narcissa and Draco in the picture. Hermione was sitting next to Draco, and there were two babies in the picture.

"Harry," Ron said in a shaky voice, picking up the card.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Take a look at this," Ron said, passing the card over to his friend.

Harry took the card, and like Ron he was stunned to find Hermione on a picture with the Malfoys. Opening the card, he found her name inside along with the rest of the family's, and two unfamiliar names which he assumed were the names of the two babies in the picture.

"Tell me I'm seeing things, Harry," Ron said.

"You're not seeing things," Harry replied. "It looks like Hermione is now a Malfoy."

"How did that happen?" Ron questioned with a frown.

"I don't know," Harry answered sadly.

Neither Harry nor Ron had seen Hermione since she'd left the country shortly after they'd finished Hogwarts. The truth was they both thought she'd ran away after her relationship with Ron broke down. It was a bitter break up, and some nasty things had been said by both parties, but rather than stick around and sort things out, Hermione had upped and left. At the time, Ron had been pleased to see the back of her and he'd returned several letters Hermione had sent him in the couple of months following her departure. Harry hadn't returned any of the letters Hermione sent him, but due to his loyalty to Ron, he'd never replied either. Eventually, Hermione had stopped sending letters and they now hadn't heard from her in years.

"Why didn't we know?" Ron questioned, taking the card back off Harry and studying it. He had to admit Hermione was looking good, and it bugged him that Draco Malfoy of all people had ended up with her.

"Know what?" Kingsley asked, returning to the office.

"Nothing," Ron mumbled. In his haste to put the card back onto the shelf, he sent it tumbling to the floor and it landed at Kingsley's feet.

"Nice card, isn't it?" Kingsley said, picking the card up and placing it on his desk. "The twins are adorable. Have you met them yet?"

"No," Harry answered. "We had no idea Hermione had twins. In fact we didn't even know she was married."

"You didn't know," Kingsley repeated in disbelief. "How could you not know?"

"It's a long story, but basically we fell out years ago and haven't spoken since," Harry answered.

"Even so, surely you knew Hermione was married," Kingsley said. "Three of your brothers were at the wedding, Ron."

"What? Which three?" Ron asked. "And why didn't they say anything?"

"I can't answer that last one," Kingsley said. "You'll have to ask Charlie and the twins why they said nothing. I guess they'll have their reasons."

"I guess they do," Harry said softly. It hurt to know some Weasleys knew about Hermione and hadn't said anything, but he could see why they'd kept quiet given how messy things had been when Hermione left.

"Look on the bright side, she's home now so this can be your opportunity to reconnect with her," Kingsley said.

"I'm not sure I want to reconnect with a Malfoy," Ron sneered.

"That's your choice," Kingsley replied with a shrug. "But it is the time of year for putting the past behind you and making fresh starts. Maybe you should treat Hermione returning as an unexpected present."

"Maybe we should," Harry said with a thoughtful nod.

It was sad that they'd lost touch with Hermione, and maybe this was what they'd needed to reconnect with their friend. Harry certainly wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity to reconnect with Hermione. He would forever be grateful for the Christmas card that would lead him back into a friendship with Hermione.


	3. Invitations

**Invitations.**

The Ministry of Magic always held their annual Christmas party in a fancy hotel, and for the first time since she'd started working at the Ministry, Hermione Granger had booked a room in the hotel for the entire night. In fact she was in a fancy suite, and she expected to make full use of the room later. In preparation for her night of fun, Hermione had bought some sexy underwear in a festive theme. She'd also gotten a second key card off reception and she planned on slipping it to her lover at the party that evening. Along with the key card, Hermione had wrote a saucy note to her lover, and she sealed them both in an envelope that she stuck in her bag.

With her night of fun hopefully take care of, Hermione turned her attention to getting ready. She'd bought a new floor length midnight blue dress for the party, which she teemed with a pair of sky high black stilettoes, a small pair of silver snowflake earrings and matching snowflake necklace. She kept her make up light, and pinned half of her hair up in a clip and left the rest flowing over her shoulders. Finally she spritzed herself with her favourite perfume and picked up her evening bag.

Taking one final look at her reflection, and deciding that she looked pretty good, Hermione left the hotel room and travelled down to where the party was being held. Unsurprisingly the evening was already in full swing, and Hermione spotted her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, over the other side of the room. Her two best friends were Aurors, while Hermione worked in the department of International Co-Operation. Not only did Hermione deal with foreign wizards, but she spent a lot of time focused on strengthening the Ministries ties with British businesses.

Grabbing some champagne from a passing waiter, Hermione made her way over to her friends, all the time keeping her eyes open for her lover. Her lover didn't work for the Ministry, but she did do a lot of business dealings with him as he and his father owned one of the largest private businesses in the country. Finally over Harry's shoulder she spotted her lover entering the party, accompanied by his parents. Almost immediately he broke away from his parents, and Hermione spotted him talking to a couple of his friends who worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

"Are you alright, Hermione, you seem distracted?" Harry asked, scrutinising his friend.

"I'm fine," Hermione replied, smiling at her best friend. "You know me, I'm not really a party person. I think I'll just stay long enough to make sure I'm seen, and then I'll sneak away for a quiet night on my own. I've got a new book I want to start."

"Only you could want to be alone reading when there's a party going on," Ron tutted. "Have you seen this spread? Tonight must be costing the Ministry a fortune."

"I'm sure Kingsley got a good deal," Hermione replied with a shrug. She had no idea how much the Ministry was paying for the party, but she knew the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was a master at getting the best deal he could for the Ministry.

"You will stay for a bit longer, won't you?" Harry checked as Ron got distracted by the buffet.

"Don't worry Harry, I won't run out on you just yet," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "But don't be surprised if I've gone in a couple of hours."

"Okay, but until then we're going to have fun," Harry said, grinning at his best friend.

Hermione smiled back at Harry, and let herself be caught up in the festivities. In that time she spotted her lover a couple of times, but she never got near enough to him to pass on her message. The one time she was approaching him when he was alone, Kingsley suddenly appeared and she ended up talking to the Minister for twenty minutes. By the time she was free, her lover was once again surrounded by people. Not that it would be strange if she approached him to say hello given the work they'd done together, but their relationship was still new and no-one knew about them, and Hermione didn't want to out them in the middle of the Christmas party.

"Stacey," Hermione hissed, spotting her assistant.

"Miss Granger," Stacey said with a polite nod as she approached her boss.

"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Hermione," Hermione said as she opened her bag and pulled out the envelope she's prepared earlier. "Do me a favour, and pass this to Mr Malfoy."

"Of course," Stacey replied, stifling a smirk. She'd only worked for Hermione for four months and she knew what a workaholic her boss was, but she was slightly surprised that she was doing work at a Christmas party.

Leaving her note with Stacey, knowing her assistant was reliable and would pass the message along, Hermione made her way out of the party without it seeming as though she was rushing out. It took her about ten minutes, but Hermione was finally free of the party and she returned to the suite she'd booked to prepare for her lover's visit. She was going to give him a Christmas present he would never forget.

* * *

After Hermione had passed her the note, Stacey had gotten distracted by a few of her friends, but when she remembered the envelope she set about trying to find Mr Malfoy. The only thing was, she didn't know which Mr Malfoy Hermione wanted the note passing to. Draco was the one who Hermione usually dealt with, but she also dealt with Lucius and for the last couple of weeks the only Malfoy around the office had been Lucius. Deciding it didn't really matter which Malfoy she passed the note to, Stacey set out to find one of the handsome blond wizards.

Five minutes later, Stacey spotted Lucius and she passed the envelope on to him. She didn't have time to mention the note was from Hermione as another wizard from the Ministry attracted Lucius's attention, but she didn't think it was necessary. After all, it would be obvious when he opened the note who it was from. Satisfied she'd done as her boss asked, Stacey didn't give the note another thought as she headed off to enjoy the rest of the party.

* * *

The note that Lucius had been passed burnt a hole in his trouser pocket, but finally he got a chance to take a peek at the note. Opening the envelope he found a key card to one of the suites in the hotel and a brief note. 'Come and unwrap an early Christmas present, sexy,' the note read.

Reading the note Lucius smirked and looked around the room for his wife, whom he'd lost track of earlier. It wouldn't be the first time his wife had surprised him, and since there was no sign of her at the party it looked like she'd done it again. Eager for a night of sex with his beautiful wife, Lucius slipped out of the party and headed for the lifts. Double checking the room number, he whizzed off to the appropriate floor.

Using the key card, Lucius let himself into the suite. The living area was in darkness, but Lucius could see the flicker of candles coming from what he presumed was the bedroom. Closing the door to the suite behind him, he strode over towards the bedroom, dropping the key card and the saucy note onto the side table as he passed. With a smirk on his face, he threw open the bedroom door.

"Hello sexy," he called, his eyes sweeping over the bedroom which was bathed in romantic candlelight.

However as Lucius's eyes fell to the bed, his smile faded and his mouth dropped open in shock. It wasn't Narcissa lying provocatively on the bed, it was Hermione Granger. Hermione was wearing a tiny red thong, trimmed with white fur, and a see through red bra with the same white trim. She had a piece of red tinsel draped around her neck, and she was smiling wickedly until she spotted Lucius and her face turned into a picture of horror.

"Lucius," Hermione screamed, grabbing the pillows behind her and placing them over her exposed body.

"Hermione," Lucius returned as he respectfully turned away from the young witch and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He loved his wife and the only witch he wanted to see naked was Narcissa, but he wasn't dead, and he couldn't fail to be affected by the nubile young body he'd just seen draped over the bed.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione demanded.

Turning back to Hermione, Lucius was relieved to find she'd pulled on one of the fluffy white robes the hotel provided. Although her face was still bright red and she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"I thought you were Narcissa," Lucius replied.

"So what, you've just got the wrong room?" Hermione asked with a frown, wondering if Draco's parents had arranged to meet up for a night of frisky fun.

"No, I thought the note I got was from Narcissa," Lucius explained.

"The note you got," Hermione repeated. "You mean the note I wanted passed to Draco."

"Ah," Lucius said with a low chuckle as understanding lit up his face. "So you're the reason Draco's been walking around like the cat who got the cream. The two of you are involved."

"We are, but it's early days," Hermione admitted. "And yes, the note was meant for Draco."

"I take it you didn't specify that to the girl you to deliver the note," Lucius said with a smirk.

"No," Hermione said with a sigh. "I didn't think Stacey would hand the note to you. Were you not curious as to why my assistant would be giving you a letter from Narcissa?"

"No, I thought she was just being playful," Lucius said. "It's not the first time I've received a naughty note from my wife during a party."

"I don't want to know that," Hermione moaned.

Lucius chuckled in response, biting down the urge to tease Hermione further. If she was getting involved with Draco, it wouldn't be the best idea to continue to tease her. He didn't want to scare her away before things could progress further with Draco.

"Since there's nothing for me here, I should return to the party," Lucius said. "Do you want me to pass your note onto my son?"

"I would appreciate it," Hermione said. "And I would also appreciate it if we never spoke of this again."

"It can be our little secret on one condition," Lucius replied with a smirk.

"What?" Hermione asked warily.

"You join us for dinner of Christmas Eve," Lucius said.

"You would want me involved in your Christmas festivities?" Hermione questioned.

"I would, and I'm sure Draco would also like it," Lucius replied. "So what do you say, will you come to dinner?"

"I will," Hermione said with a nod. "Thank you Lucius."

"What can I say, I feel an affinity with you. It's not every girlfriend of my sons who gives me a sexy show," Lucius joked.

"I thought we were never mentioning it again," Hermione said in embarrassment.

"And from this moment, my lips are sealed." Lucius made a show of zipping his lips as he grinned at Hermione. "I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of the evening. I'll send Draco up to you, and I'll see you on Christmas Eve."

Leaving Hermione to prepare for Draco, Lucius gathered the key card and Hermione's note and slipped them back into the envelope. Calling goodbye to Hermione, he left the suite and returned to the party. Finding his son, he slipped him the envelope, informing him that someone had passed it onto him. Lucius watched as Draco opened the note, a knowing smirk appearing on his face as he read the contents.

"Anything interesting?" Lucius asked.

"Possibly," Draco replied, tucking the note and key card into his pocket. "I think I'll be off now. See you tomorrow at work."

"Will you not be home tonight?" Lucius questioned with a smirk.

"I don't think so," Draco replied, before he headed off to meet Hermione.

"No, neither do I," Lucius muttered to himself, smiling as his son headed off for his sexy rendezvous with his new girlfriend.

"What's with the smile on your face?" Narcissa asked as she came up beside her smirking husband. "And where's Draco?"

"He went to get an early Christmas present," Lucius replied. "And speaking of which, I think we should go home so I can unwrap you."

"Sounds good, but I want to know what you know about Draco," Narcissa warned. "Spill your secret, Lucius."

Lucius quickly told his wife about Draco's new romance, although he left out the part where he'd seen Hermione in her sexy underwear. Narcissa was just as pleased as her husband about their son's new romance, and she wholeheartedly approved of Lucius inviting Hermione for dinner on Christmas Eve. With any luck, it was the start of something special and Hermione would soon be joining the Malfoys for Christmas on a regular basis.


	4. A Christmas Miracle

**A/N - Like The Christmas Card, this is another piece that will be hopefully making it into a full length story (although The Christmas Card will likely just be my standard 5-6 chapter reunion story). In the New Year, I fully intend to look at this piece and plot a full story around it (And I've already got a few ideas for this one). But for now, I hope people enjoy this piece.**

* * *

 **A Christmas Miracle.**

Hermione Granger trudged through the snow in Diagon Alley, feeling none of the Christmas spirit of the shoppers surrounding her. Two days before Christmas, most people who were out and about were stocking up on last minute bits and pieces for their holiday celebrations, and looking forward to Christmas. But for Hermione, the trip was a depressing reminder that her holidays would be spent the same way they'd been the previous year – alone.

Hermione had ventured into Diagon Alley in the hopes that just being around people would cheer her up, but it had done the exact opposite. Just seeing the happiness in other people, brought home the fact she was alone. She'd seen people with their friends, and remembered the time when she'd had friends to celebrate Christmas with. More cuttingly, she'd seen people with their partners and had been reminded of the wizard she was separated from. Not that she needed any reminders of her lost love, as she thought about him every day.

After grabbing the few bits and pieces she would need to hole up in her flat for the rest of the holidays, Hermione headed home. The attempt to cheer herself up had failed miserably, and Hermione arrived home more depressed than ever. She couldn't wait until Christmas was over, as at least once the holidays were over she could throw herself into work to take her mind off the loneliness.

Pouring herself a lager glass of wine, Hermione curled up beside the fire and let her mind wander back into the past. She rarely thought about the past as it was too painful, and she coped by focusing on the future, but it was hard to focus on the future when Christmas was at hand and she was all alone. Not only was she without the wizard she loved, but she was also without her friends.

It had all started back in Hogwarts when Hermione had gotten involved with Draco Malfoy in fifth year. Given the situation with the war, they'd decided it was best to keep their relationship a secret. In sixth year when Draco was forced to do as Voldemort wanted, Hermione had begged her boyfriend to seek help from Dumbledore and the Order, but he'd been unable to do so without dooming his mother, and he'd refused to let anything happen to Narcissa. As a result, the pair found themselves torn apart and on differing sides as the war reached its brutal climax.

When Hermione's best friend, Harry Potter, defeated Voldemort, she'd allowed herself to believe the worst was over. Yes, Draco had done some bad things, but he'd been forced to do Voldemort's bidding and Harry seemed sympathetic to his plight. Even when Draco was arrested, Hermione kept her belief that everything would be alright, as it was understandable that he had to be held accountable for the small part in the war he did play. Harry had also assured her that he planned on speaking up for Draco when he stood trial along with the other captured Death Eaters.

However, when it came to Draco's trial, things did not go as Hermione expected. Draco's trial was one of the last to be heard, and almost all of the Death Eaters had been sentenced to life imprisonment, including Draco's father, Lucius. Even so, Hermione didn't believe that the Ministry would seek to hand Draco the same harsh punishment, as there were extenuating circumstances in his case. Sadly, the Ministry were in a harsh mood the day of Draco's trial, and despite hearing how Draco was just as much of a victim as anyone else caught up in the war, they sentenced him to five years in Azkaban.

The verdict had broken Hermione's heart, and she'd begged Harry to help Draco. However, Harry's hands were tied and there was nothing he could do. He'd done as he promised and spoken up for Draco, but even that hadn't been enough to save him. The Ministry had wanted their vengeance on the portion of the wizarding community that had backed Voldemort, and that had included Draco.

After Draco had been sent to Azkaban it had become clear to Hermione that her friends thought that was the end of their relationship. None of them had really taken the news she was with Draco great, so they'd been happy to pounce on the fact he was lost to her for five years. Ron Weasley was especially brutal in his condemnation of Draco, and he'd had no problems telling Hermione that if she stood by a convicted criminal, they could no longer be friends. Hermione had responded by telling Ron where to stick his friendship, and the pair hadn't spoken since.

Harry hadn't taken such a harsh stance as Ron, but with the rest of the family rallying around Ron, he'd been very much caught in the crossfire, and his friendship with Hermione had just fizzled out. He'd never said as much, but Hermione knew he also believed she should just walk away from Draco, but she'd been unable to. She loved Draco, and she'd been determined to stand by him and wait for him, even if in the process she lost her friends. It had now been well over a year since she'd last spoken to either Harry or Ron, and it was still another three and a half years before Draco was released. It meant Hermione's life was lonely, but she clung onto the fact that one day she would be reunited with Draco and they could finally be together as they'd always dreamt.

Focusing on being reunited with Draco was what got Hermione through the days, especially times like Christmas when she felt more alone than ever. Her friends were no longer her friends, since they disapproved of her standing by Draco, while her parents were still in Australia without their memories. There was Draco's mother, Narcissa, who'd welcomed Hermione into the family, but as she'd done the previous year, she'd taken herself away to spend Christmas on her own without her husband or son.

Hermione was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't have followed Narcissa's lead and gone away for the holidays, when there was a knocking on the front door. Despite the unusualness of someone knocking on her door, Hermione didn't exactly jump up to answer. She couldn't think of anyone who she would want to see, so she didn't see the point of answering the door. However, whoever was at the door was persistent and the knocking continued.

"Alright, I'm coming," Hermione muttered, stalking towards the door.

When she pulled open the door the last person she expected to see was Harry, and she was stunned into silence at the sight of her old best friend.

"Hello Hermione," Harry said with a smile, breaking the silence.

"Harry," Hermione replied. "What can I do for you? I thought you would have been spending Christmas with the Weasleys."

"I am," Harry answered. "I'm heading there now. I just wanted to bring you a bit of Christmas cheer."

"After nearly eighteen months of not talking to me?" Hermione snorted. "Thanks for the gesture Harry, but it's too late." Shaking her head, she began to close the door in Harry's face.

"I hope it's not too late," Harry said, stopping her from shutting the door. "I've done this as quickly as I could."

"Done what?" Hermione asked warily.

Instead of replying, Harry gave her a smile before turning his head and nodding to someone, or something, out of sight. Yanking the door open further, Hermione was just about to step outside to see what was going on when a figure stepped forward to stand next to Harry.

"Draco!" Hermione gasped, not sure if she was seeing things.

The wizard next to Harry looked like a fatigued version of the man she loved. If possible he looked even thinner and paler than when he'd been sent to Azkaban, his blond hair was longer than she'd ever seen it before, and he was in need of a shave. However, he was standing outside of her flat when he should have been locked up in Azkaban.

"Hermione," Draco whispered.

Quick as a flash, Hermione flew to Draco and launched herself at him. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, Draco buried his head in her hair as he whispered how much he loved her in her ear. Being in Draco's arms after so long, and so unexpectedly, was too much for Hermione and she began to cry softly.

"Don't cry," Draco said, pulling back and wiping at her tears. He'd never been good with crying witches, and it was especially disconcerting when the witch crying was the one he loved.

"I'm just so happy," Hermione sniffed. "How is this possible? How are you here?"

"We need to thank Potter for that," Draco said with a rueful smile. "He's been fighting for my release since the day I arrived in Azkaban."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Hermione gasped, turning to Harry. "I begged you to help Draco, but you said you couldn't."

"I didn't know if I could, and I didn't want to get your hopes up," Harry replied with a slight shrug. "I know how much it hurt you when Malfoy got sent to Azkaban, and I didn't want to give you hope if it might have been false. I figured it was best if I tried to secure his release without you knowing."

"And Draco's free?" Hermione checked, clasping hold of Draco's hand as if he was going to leave her again.

"He's a free man," Harry confirmed with a nod. "The pair of you are free to do what you want, and go where you want. You can start catching up for lost time."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione whispered, finally letting go of Draco long enough to hug her old friend. "I'll never forget what you've done for us."

"I was merely doing the right thing," Harry replied. He'd been appalled when Draco had been sentenced to five years in Azkaban, and although he wouldn't have done anything if it hadn't been for Hermione, it felt good to help put things right. "Merry Christmas, Hermione."

"Merry Christmas, Harry," Hermione returned, feeling the festive spirit for the first time that year.

Draco thanked Harry one final time, before he headed off to the Weasleys, leaving the couple to their reunion. Hermione ushered Draco into the flat, and the second the door was closed, she leapt on him again. Draco was more than happy to have Hermione in his arms, and this time without Harry watching, he also shed a few tears at being reunited with the witch he loved.

"I still can't believe you're here," Hermione whispered, staring into Draco's familiar grey eyes.

"I can't believe you've waited for me," Draco replied.

"Where else would I be?" Hermione questioned with a slight smile. "I love you, Draco."

"I love you too," Draco replied softly.

For the first time in over a year, Draco pressed his lips against Hermione's. The presence of Draco's beard felt strange to Hermione, and for a moment it was like kissing a stranger. But the longer the kiss went on, the more familiar it felt and Hermione lost herself in her boyfriend's embrace. After nearly eighteen months apart, it was no surprise that their physical urges came to the fore, and without even managing to head into Hermione's bedroom, they divested each other of their clothes and got reacquainted in the front room.

"Now that was a Christmas present I wasn't expecting," Hermione chuckled, feeling euphoric in the aftermath of the unexpected reunion as she lay on the sofa with Draco.

"It was something I hadn't let myself think would happen," Draco confessed. "Even when I found out that Potter was trying to get me released. I didn't dare hope in case it didn't happen."

"Luckily for us, it did," Hermione said softly. "So what happens now?"

"Right now, if you don't mind, I could really do with a good bath," Draco replied. "I also need clothes, and of course, Mother needs to know I'm free."

"I suppose we could go to the manor to grab you some clothes," Hermione said. "But your mother has gone away for the holidays."

"I'm sure we can get in touch with her," Draco said, giving Hermione a quick kiss. "Do you fancy coming to scrub my back?"

"On one condition," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "You shave your beard."

"Don't you like it?" Draco asked.

"Not really," Hermione answered. "Do you?"

"I hate it," Draco answered. "I'll be happy to shave, and to get a haircut."

"The haircut can wait, for now let's get you shaved and bathed," Hermione said, getting to her feet and pulling Draco to his.

"It's not very festive in here," Draco commented, really looking around Hermione's flat for the first time.

"I wasn't exactly feeling very festive," Hermione admitted. "But now you're here, I'm suddenly feeling the Christmas spirit. Something tells me this is going to be a pretty good Christmas."

"It'll be the first of many," Draco replied with a soft smile.

"Yes, it will," Hermione agreed.

It was amazing how much her life had changed in the matter of a couple of hours. Earlier that day, she'd had no festive spirit and was bordering on despondency. But now, she had everything to live for and her future looked bright again. Harry really had delivered her a Christmas miracle, and Hermione couldn't be happier. Finally she and Draco were reunited, and neither of them planned on being separated again.


	5. Surprise

**Surprise.**

It was a chilly December afternoon as Hermione Malfoy finished her Christmas shopping alongside her friend, Daphne Zabini. Daphne was married to Blaise Zabini, the best friend of Hermione's husband, Draco Malfoy, and as such the two witches were very friendly and a spent a lot of time together socially. For Daphne it was nice to have a female friend whose main focus in life wasn't being the perfect pureblood wife, which of course was something that didn't interest Hermione as she was a muggleborn and proud of it. While Hermione enjoyed having a good friend who wasn't a wizard, since her two oldest friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were both males.

"I think I'm done," Daphne announced as they emerged from a baby boutique where she'd just bought her new little nephew a dozen new outfits.

"I just want one more thing," Hermione said, double checking her list and making sure she hadn't missed anything.

"Where to?" Daphne asked.

"Saucy Secrets," Hermione replied, naming the exclusive lingerie shop that had recently opened in the wizarding shopping complex they were strolling around.

"Are you after someone's present in here?" Daphne asked warily as the pair entered the lingerie shop.

"Every year Draco buys me lingerie, saying it's a present for me, when really it's just for him," Hermione answered. "So I thought I'd buy something nice to surprise him with on Christmas night."

"So that way he gets two presents instead of one," Daphne said with a chuckle. "I should do that. Blaise is always buying me saucy underwear."

"I think it's a man thing," Hermione said as they began to browse the displays. "They buy something they get a lot of pleasure out of, but they can pass it off as a present."

"Typical men, always thinking with their nether regions," Daphne laughed.

"Draco always counters my argument about the gift being for him by saying that I get just as much pleasure from the present as he does," Hermione said. "The annoying thing is, he's right. The sex is always good when he buys me some new lingerie."

"Is the sex ever anything but good?" Daphne questioned with a smirk as she admired a sexy see through black negligee. She and Hermione were close enough that the topic of their sex lives came up on occasion and she knew that Hermione rarely had complaints in that department.

"Not that I can recall," Hermione answered with a smug smile. She and Draco had been together for five years, nearly three of them married, and Hermione couldn't recall one instance where their sex life hadn't been smoking hot.

As they continued to chatter on, Hermione and Daphne browsed the displays. Daphne found a seductive red and black lingerie set she decided to buy, but Hermione was being rather picky. She'd found dozens of pieces that were gorgeous, sexy, and would get Draco's pulse racing, but she hadn't quite found the right piece. She wanted something that she knew would drive her husband wild.

After nearly five minutes of searching, Hermione found the perfect set. The lingerie was a deep emerald colour and consisted of a tiny thong, low cut bra, garter and black silk stockings. The underwear was edged with delicate silver piping, but the thing that sealed it was the small silver snake emblem on the cups of the bra. It was as though someone had specially created a set of lingerie with Slytherin in mind, and Hermione just knew Draco would love it. Even though they'd been left school for years, he was still a proud Slytherin and nothing excited him more than seeing Hermione in his old house colours.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, showing Daphne the set she'd found.

"Perfect," Daphne replied with a nod. "It's very Slytherin."

"That's what I thought," Hermione said. "And Draco does like me in Slytherin colours."

"Maybe you should pick something red then, remind him that you're a Gryffindor," Daphne teasingly suggested.

"I do that on occasion, but since its Christmas I'll let him have his fun," Hermione replied.

Finding a set in her size, Hermione headed over to the till and paid for her purchase. Slipping the lingerie bag inside one of her other shopping bags, just in case Draco spotted it when they got home, Hermione and Daphne left the lingerie shop. With nothing else to buy, the two witches just strolled around for a while before they called it a day and headed back to Hermione's house to sort out their purchases and unwind with a glass of wine.

* * *

A week after Hermione and Daphne had finished their shopping, Draco and Blaise were at the same shopping complex, finishing their own shopping. However, unlike their wives who were just picking up last minute bits and pieces, they were doing their entire Christmas shop. With Christmas less than a week away, both wizards felt it was time to get a move on. After all, it was never good to leave things to the last minute, as they'd experienced in previous years when they'd been both scouring the shops on Christmas Eve, looking for the perfect present in among the leftovers that no-one else had wanted to buy.

"This is great, I feel so organised," Blaise gloated as he picked up a cranberry spice candle for his mother. "I'm not sure I've ever done my shopping this early."

"It sure beats waiting until Christmas Eve," Draco agreed, as he also picked up a few scented candles for his mother. "Although I'm still sure most people would call this last minute. Christmas is only in five days' time."

"Five days before hand is plenty of time to do your shopping," Blaise countered as they headed off to pay for their purchases.

After quickly darting in and out of a few more shops, the two wizards headed to the lingerie store, Saucy Secrets. Neither man passed up on an opportunity to shower their beautiful wives with lingerie, and Christmas was just another opportunity to get Hermione and Daphne into some sexy knickers. Fortunately, Saucy Secrets wasn't too crowded with husbands buying last minute presents for their wives, so the pair could wander around and get a good look at the merchandise.

"What do you think Daph will look like in purple?" Blaise called over to Draco, as he picked up a silk slip that would leave very little to the imagination.

"I don't really know, I've never thought about your wife in her underwear," Draco replied, not even looking at what Blaise was considering as he was focused on finding something for Hermione.

"I think she'd look hot in this," Blaise decided, draping the skimpy material over his arm to buy.

Draco wasn't listening to Blaise as he continued to ramble on as his eyes had fallen on the perfect lingerie set. The set contained a thong, bra, garter and silk stockings, but it was the colour and design that appealed to Draco. The underwear was a gorgeous shade of emerald with silver edging and the best part was the small snake emblem on the bra itself. Draco couldn't think of anything else he would rather see Hermione in. even though their school days were behind them, he still got a kick out of seeing the Gryffindor Golden Girl dressed in sexy Slytherin lingerie.

Picking out Hermione's size, Draco hurried over to the till and had his purchase gift wrapped in a deep purple box. Once Blaise had also paid, and had his purchases gift wrapped, the two wizards left the shop and headed to grab a drink before going home. Christmas shopping was exhausting work, but at least Draco knew he had something to look forward to when he presented Hermione with her present on Christmas evening.

* * *

 **Christmas Evening.**

As they'd done since they'd gotten married, Hermione and Draco spent Christmas Day with their parents. Both sets of parents arrived at Draco and Hermione's house shortly before lunch, and after a delicious Christmas lunch prepared by Hermione, they'd exchanged presents and spent the rest of the afternoon together. By early evening Hermione's parents had gone home, and while Draco was saying a final goodbye to his parents, Hermione slipped upstairs and shimmied into her new lingerie set, before quickly redressing so she didn't spoil Draco's surprise.

"Do you want another glass of wine?" Draco asked his wife when she reappeared downstairs.

"No, I've had enough," Hermione replied. "Why don't we have an early night? I've got a surprise for you."

"Funnily enough, I've got a surprise for you as well," Draco replied with a grin.

"I wonder what it could be," Hermione said, laughing as she knew it would be some sort of lingerie. However, Draco's lingerie would have to wait for the following evening, as she was pretty sure he would be enjoying the set she'd bought for him tonight.

"Let's go upstairs and I'll give it to you," Draco said, taking hold of Hermione's hand and leading her towards the stairs.

Upstairs in their bedroom, Draco produced a deep purple box wrapped in a gold ribbon from his bedside drawer. Hermione chuckled quietly to herself as she recognised the wrapping as being from Saucy Secrets. It really was just typical that she and Draco both preferred to buy lingerie from the same elegant lingerie shop.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," Draco said, handing her the box.

"Thank you sweetheart," Hermione replied, giving Draco a kiss before turning her attention to the box.

Draco watched with anticipation as Hermione undid the gold ribbon and pulled the lid off the purple box. When Hermione peeled back the gold tissue paper that lined the box, she revealed the beautiful emerald and silver lingerie set. Draco was expecting a positive reaction from his wife, so he was rather taken aback as she examined his gift with a slight frown on her face.

"Don't you like it?" He asked quietly. He could never remember buying Hermione anything that she hadn't liked, and it rather stung that he'd misjudged what his wife would like.

"I do like it. They're gorgeous," Hermione replied in a small voice, gazing at the very same lingerie set that she was wearing. She just couldn't believe that of all the sets in the shop that Draco just had to pick the exact same one as she'd bought.

"What's the problem?" Draco asked, still not understanding Hermione's less than enthusiastic response.

"Can you remember when I said I had a present for you?" Hermione asked, looking up at her husband. "Well, I've also bought lingerie."

"What's the problem?" Draco questioned with a shrug. "Double the fun. We can save one set for tomorrow."

"Perhaps I should show you what I've bought," Hermione said.

Reaching around her back, Hermione slid down the zipper of her deep blue dress and shimmied out of the tight material. Gently placing her dress over her dressing table chair, she turned back to Draco, who was watching her with wide eyes. Without her dress, she was now clad in the same emerald green bra and thong that was lying in the box on the bed. She was also wearing the garter and silk stockings that went with the outfit, and even if she did say so herself, she thought she was looking pretty sexy.

"That's, that," Draco stuttered, looking between Hermione and the lingerie set in the box on the bed.

"I know," Hermione answered with a smile. "It seems like we have the same taste in lingerie."

Draco looked at the box on the bed and again at his wife, before he burst out laughing. "That's just great," He said through his laughter. "I can't believe we've done this. Of all the underwear in the shop, we had to buy the same thing."

"Well, it is very Slytherin," Hermione said, laughing along with her husband.

"And very sexy," Draco added, his laughter coming to an end as his grey eyes swept up and down his wife's stunning figure. "We do have good taste. You look as hot as hell in that."

"You think?" Hermione asked coyly as she slowly turned around to give Draco the full effect.

"I don't think, I know," Draco answered. Picking the box up that contained the unworn lingerie, he placed it on his bedside table as he reached for his wife. "Come here and I'll show you just how hot you are."

Laughing lightly, Hermione crawled onto the bed and let Draco wrap her in his arms. "I'm sorry," She whispered.

"What for?"

"For buying the same thing as you," Hermione replied. "It sort of ruins the whole save one for tomorrow thing."

"You can't blame us for both having the same impeccable taste," Draco answered with a shrug.

"More like, we both know what sort of fetishes you have," Hermione retorted. "Let's face it, green underwear is always a winner with you."

"What can I say, I'm a Slytherin through and through," Draco answered, tracing his finger over the small silver snake design on the right cup of Hermione's bra.

Hermione shivered at the feeling of Draco's fingers teasingly trailing over her bra covered chest. Pulling her husband to her, she connected their lips in a fierce kiss. They could talk later about buying the same lingerie set, but right now she intended to take full advantage of the effect it was having on her husband. They'd both bought Slytherin style underwear for a reason, and it was time to explore that reason. They could always take one of the sets back and exchange it for something else, or they could keep it just in case Draco got over excited and something happened to the other one. But one thing was for sure, they would never forget the Christmas where they'd both bought the exact same set of sexy lingerie.


	6. A Cold Snap

**A Cold Snap.**

It was Christmas Eve and Hermione Granger was sitting at her parents' kitchen table, despondently watching the light snow falling outside. Being back home in the muggle world for Christmas wasn't how she'd expected to spend her festive season, but here she found herself. And worst of all, it was all her own fault. If she hadn't been such a stubborn, selfish cow she could be curled up in front of the fire with her gorgeous boyfriend, Draco Malfoy. But no, she had to go and ruin everything by flying off the handle and storming off like a petulant child.

It had all started a few days ago, when Hermione had filled Draco in on their Christmas plans. Hermione always spent part of her holidays with her family and her friends, and she knew from the previous year that Draco did something similar. So for their first real Christmas together, she wasn't counting their first as they'd only been together a few months and they spent most of the holidays apart, Hermione had tried to fit all of their friends and family into their schedule. However, Draco was not impressed that she'd managed to fit visits in to all of their family and friends, yet she'd failed to schedule them any time alone together.

In hindsight, Hermione knew all Draco wanted was for them to spend some time alone together over the holidays, but Hermione had taken his comments to mean she'd made a mess of the festive arrangements. Annoyed and frustrated, the pair had let things get the better of them and they'd ended up having a blazing row. Draco was refusing to spend his holidays traipsing from house to house just to visit people they saw every day, while Hermione was refusing to back down and not visit her friends and family just because Draco wanted her all to himself.

In the end, Hermione had stormed out, informing Draco that he wouldn't have to worry about sharing her as she was going to spend Christmas with her parents. Almost the second she arrived home, Hermione had known she'd made a mistake by walking out on Draco. Speaking to her parents, and finding they both agreed that Draco wasn't being unreasonable in wanting to spend time with her, only confirmed her suspicions that she'd acted rashly and made the wrong choice.

However, admitting she'd made a mistake and fixing the mistake were two very different things. For several days now, Hermione had thought about going back home to the penthouse she shared with Draco, but when it came down to it she was just too scared to back down and admit she was wrong. Deep down she was worried that she'd blown things with Draco, and now she'd left he would come to his senses and realise he could have any witch he wanted, and none of them would be as much hassle as she was. And the longer she stayed away, the harder it seemed to be to admit she was wrong and go and apologise to Draco.

"Are you just going to sit there moping again?" Jean Granger asked her daughter as she entered the kitchen, carrying bags of presents that needed wrapping.

"I'm not moping, I'm lamenting where my life went wrong," Hermione retorted.

"Don't be so dramatic girl," Jean tutted. "All this could be fixed if you just swallowed your pride and apologised to Draco. All the poor boy wanted was to spend some time with his girlfriend over the holidays, just what was so wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Hermione glumly admitted. She knew she'd been a complete and utter bitch to Draco, she just didn't know how to fix it.

"Then fix things," Jean ordered. "Don't sit here moping, go home and sort things with Draco."

"I wish it was that easy," Hermione said with a sigh as she got up and wandered over to the window that overlooked the Grangers large back garden. The snow had practically stopped falling now, but the ground was covered in a thick, untarnished blanket of white.

"It is that easy, Hermione," Jean insisted.

Knowing her mother was right and she was just being irrational, Hermione leant her forehead against the cool glass of the window. She stood just staring into nothingness for almost ten minutes before the sound of the front doorbell jolted her from her depressing thoughts.

"Get that, Hermione," Jean said, her hands full of presents, scissors, paper and sellotape.

"It'll likely just be carol singers," Hermione said with a sigh as she made her way to the front door.

However, when she opened the front door, it wasn't carol singers standing on the doorstep, it was Draco. Her boyfriend was wearing a warm looking black coat over his trousers and jumper, and he had his old Slytherin scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Hi," Hermione said softly, not sure what sort of response she was going to get from Draco.

"Hi," Draco returned, equally as softly.

"Do you want to come in?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, I was hoping you would come for a walk with me."

Readily agreeing to the idea, Hermione quickly pulled on her boots and coat, and after quickly informing her mother where she was going, she headed out of the door with Draco. Silently they left the Grangers front yard and began to slowly meander down the street. Hermione wasn't sure where they were going, but right now she couldn't care less. All she cared about was the fact Draco was back and they would hopefully sort something out.

The silence carried on for nearly five minutes before Draco broke it just as they reached the small park Hermione used to play in when she was a child.

"Merry Christmas."

"It's not Christmas until tomorrow," Hermione pointed out.

"You're always arguing, Granger," Draco said, although his small smile indicated he was only joking.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered, knowing that there was a grain of truth in Draco's joke. It did seem as though she was always arguing with him, even when she tried not to she still ended up bickering with him.

"Don't be sorry for being you," Draco said. "I knew when we got together what I was signing up for. I've always known you love a good argument."

"Right back at you, Malfoy," Hermione replied. As much as she was guilty of arguing, so was Draco, it wasn't like he was Mr Laid-back and didn't start unnecessary arguments.

"I think we can agree arguing is in our nature," Draco said with a small smile.

"Sadly, yes," Hermione replied with a sigh. "It doesn't make for the easiest of relationships, does it?"

"Who wants easy?" Draco snorted. "Nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve."

"Does that mean you want to try again?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"I wasn't aware we'd stopped trying in the first place," Draco replied with a frown. "I thought this was just another fight."

"A fight doesn't normally lead to me storming out," Hermione pointed out.

"I thought you were just being dramatic," Draco admitted as he stopped beside the frozen pond in the lake and turned to face Hermione.

"I was," Hermione confessed. "I never should have left, I was just being a stubborn cow."

"I shouldn't have been so harsh on you," Draco returned. "I'm sorry I accused you of caring more about other people than me, I know that's not true."

"I'm sorry for not taking your feelings into account," Hermione said quietly. "I would love nothing more than to spend the entire festive period locked away somewhere just the two of us, but I've spent so long being the responsible one, the one who makes sure no-one feels left out over Christmas, that I'd forgotten it's my holidays as well. I deserve to spend some time with the person I love more than anything."

"I'm pleased you feel that way," Draco said as he suddenly dropped to one knee and pulled a velvet ring box out of his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed.

"Trying to be romantic," Draco retorted. Giving Hermione a silencing look as he could see she was going to start talking again, he flicked open the ring box to reveal an elegant diamond engagement ring. "I know I'm not the easiest person to live with, Hermione, and I know I can sometimes be a right bastard, but I love you more than anything. If you marry me, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to be the man you deserve."

"You're already that man," Hermione said, a smile breaking out over her face.

"Is that a yes?" Draco asked.

"You haven't asked me a question yet," Hermione retorted teasingly.

"For Merlin's sake Hermione, it's bloody freezing down here. My balls are going to drop off with the cold," Draco growled, rolling his eyes at his girlfriend. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, I'll marry you," Hermione answered with a girlish squeal as she launched herself at her boyfriend, joining him on her knees in the snow.

Grinning happily, Draco slid the ring out of the box and onto Hermione's finger, where it magically adjusted to fit her perfectly. Hermione looked down at the ring before wrapping her arms tighter around Draco as she gave him a deep kiss.

"Hermione," Draco muttered as he broke the kiss.

"Yes?"

"I wasn't joking about my balls. If you ever want kids, I need to get up out of this snow."

Laughing giddily, Hermione jumped to her feet and helped Draco to his. "I should get you home and check you over for frostbite."

"I do feel a bit chilly in certain areas," Draco returned with a saucy smile.

"Don't worry, I'll warm you up," Hermione promised.

"All of me?" Draco asked.

"All of you," Hermione confirmed with a sly grin as she rubbed her hand over Draco's crotch.

"Don't start something you're not prepared to finish," Draco warned, grabbing Hermione's hand before she did any more than rub him.

"Who says I'm not going to finish it?" Hermione asked with a pout.

"Right here, in the middle of a snowy park?" Draco questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I admit, it's not ideal," Hermione said with a nod. "Let's go home."

"What about your parents?" Draco asked. He was dying to take Hermione home, but he didn't just want to whisk her away and leave her parents worried about her.

"They've been urging me to go home since the second I arrived," Hermione admitted. "We can always drop by later on just to let them know we're all sorted. But right now, I've got some icy balls to inspect."

"Let's get inspecting then," Draco said with a grin as he wrapped Hermione in his arms and spirited her back home where they spent the next couple of hours thoroughly making up and celebrating their engagement.


	7. Christmas Kisses

**Christmas Kisses.**

On the last weekend before Hogwarts broke up for the summer, the grounds were transformed into a winter wonderland as they prepared to play host to the winter fair the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had organised. Dumbledore had come up with a plan to hold a winter fair for the students of Hogwarts, with all the proceeds going to various charities throughout the wizarding world. He'd roped in the two head students, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy to help him organise the event, and the fair was going to be run mainly be the staff and seventh years of Hogwarts.

Since there was only a bit real snow that year, Dumbledore had enchanted the grounds so that they were covered with soft, magical white snow. Magical lights were then strung up around the outside of the castle and in the trees to give the grounds a festive sparkle. He'd also frozen over The Black Lake for the day so that students could pay to go ice-skating.

Hermione and Draco had spoken to the shop keepers down in Hogsmeade, and nearly every shop had set up a stall at the fair, and agreed to donate half of what they made to the charities. Madam Rosmerta was there from The Three Broomstick's, selling butterbeers. The first and second years in particular were looking forward to visiting the stalls from Hogsmeade as it was a chance for them to sample the shops they would be able to visit once they hit third year.

For entertainment there was the ice-skating and a selection of other fun stalls. Hagrid had arranged for a friend of his to set up a pen of reindeers, which students could pet and even feed. There was a lucky dip, where a prize was guaranteed, a raffle, a snowball throwing stand, where you had to win your prize by throwing snowballs accurately. Snowman competitions were running throughout the day, with each year taking part at different times. There were even a couple of mistletoe booths, which the girls of seventh year had all agreed to take a turn in over the course of the day. Professor Flitwick had also organised for the choir to provide the festive music throughout the day.

The Hogwarts house elves had also been hard at work with their input for the day, which was sorting out the refreshments. Students could buy hot turkey sandwiches, bowls of soup, mince pies, and other festive cakes. Then there was a stall selling hot chocolate and other warm drinks.

All the staff had a part to play in the day, and every seventh year had agreed to do a couple of stints of work throughout the day. Hermione and Draco had organised the schedule, and every student would do their share of work, but they would all also get plenty of time to relax, enjoy the day and have fun for their friends.

A little before eleven o'clock, Dumbledore gathered the students in the Great Hall and officially opened the fair, reminding people that all the money they spent would be going to charity. If they wanted students could remain indoors, but all the fun was outside, so no-one did remain in the castle. Everyone got outside as quickly as they could, and the fun began.

As head students, Draco and Hermione were in charge of making sure all the students pulled their weight. They both had their own jobs to do at certain times, but they spent the first few hours of the fair, making sure everyone was sticking to the schedules they'd created. Thankfully there was an air of co-operation among the students that neither of them had experienced before, and they both thought that Dumbledore may just have found the perfect way to promote house unity. By doing something so enjoyable, the students didn't mind helping out and they were all having too much fun to argue with one another.

During their rounds, both Hermione and Draco had time to spend with their friends, although they saw precious little of each other. The pair had been a couple since the end of the previous year, and they were hoping to snatch some time together before the end of the day. However, they were both pretty busy and they didn't even have a chance to say hello until the middle of the afternoon when Hermione ran into Draco, who was with his best friend, Blaise Zabini, as she was heading for her turn at the kissing booth.

"Are you having a good time?" Draco asked, giving his girlfriend a quick kiss.

"I am," Hermione replied with a smile. "And everyone else seems to be having fun as well."

"It seems like a big success," Draco agreed. "I don't suppose you're free to actually spend some time with me, are you?"

"Actually, I'm not," Hermione answered with a sheepish smile. "It's my turn in the kissing booths alongside Pansy."

"I suppose if I come with you, I can at least get a kiss," Draco chuckled.

"Only if you pay for it," Hermione warned. "It's a sickle a kiss."

"I think I can stretch to it," Draco drawled with a roll of his eyes. "So how long are you in the booth for?"

"An hour," Hermione answered.

"Wow, you could do a whole lot of kissing in an hour," Blaise piped up. "I'm not sure I would like all these others wizards kissing my girlfriend. All I can say is you're a more tolerant man than me, mate."

"Blaise has a point," Draco said with a frown. "I don't want you kissing other wizards."

"It's for charity, Draco," Hermione pointed out. "Besides, I'm hardly going to be snogging them. It's just a few quick kisses."

"An hour's worth of quick kisses," Blaise said mischievously. "That's a whole lot of puckering, Granger."

"Stop stirring the pot, Zabini," Hermione warned, glaring at Draco's playful best friend.

"I think I need to stay with you," Draco announced. "I don't want these other wizards getting the wrong idea."

"You can't just stand at my side, glaring at every boy who wants a kiss," Hermione argued. "No-one will come near my booth."

"Perfect," Draco said, flashing Hermione a wicked smirk.

"No," Hermione stated firmly. "You will not be standing guard like some sort of jealous moron. If you want a kiss you can pay for it like anyone else, and then you leave. I can come and find you when I'm done."

Not giving Draco a chance to argue further, Hermione headed off to the kissing booths. The previous two girls were just finishing up when Hermione arrived, and they each took their pot of money to be checked in with Professor Snape. Pansy Parkinson was right behind Hermione, and the two girls took their place behind the two booths together. Hanging above each booth was some mistletoe, and as Hermione retrieved an empty pot from underneath the booth to put her money in she spotted Draco lurking beside her booth. In actual fact she spotted a few boys from their year, hanging around to grab a kiss from either her or Pansy.

"We've got a good crowd, Granger," Pansy called over from her booth as she applied a coat of cherry lip gloss. "I bet I make more than you."

"What do you want to bet?" Hermione asked.

"The loser buys the winner a sandwich and a drink," Pansy suggested.

"You're on," Hermione replied, holding out her hand for Pansy to shake.

"Get ready to be well and truly beaten, Granger," Pansy crowed as she turned back to the waiting crowds. "Alright boys, the booths are now open. Come and get your Christmas kisses."

Hermione had barely turned back to face the public when Draco appeared in front of her booth. Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's eagerness, but she pushed the tub for the money towards him.

"A sickle for a kiss," she told him.

Reaching into his pocket, Draco pulled out a shiny silver sickle and dropped it into the pot. With a devilish grin he then leant across the booth and gave Hermione a searing kiss which had her wishing for more. As their lips parted, Hermione let out a small groan of disappointment, and she knew no other kiss that hour was going to live up to the one her boyfriend had just given her.

"Now that was worth a sickle," Draco said with a grin.

"It was," Hermione replied. "But now you've had your kiss, so step aside. I've got boys to kiss."

"I'm not done yet," Draco argued.

"Oh no you don't," Hermione said, leaning back from her boyfriend. "One sickle gets you one kiss. You've paid your sickle and you've had your kiss."

"It's a good job I came prepared then," Draco replied with a grin. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a fat money bag, teeming with silver sickles, and dropped it on the top of the booth counter.

"Blood hell," Seamus Finnigan cried from behind Draco. "That's not fair. That bag of coins will last for ages."

"That's the idea," Draco replied as he turned round to face the boys waiting in line behind him. "Sorry boys, but these lips are taken. If you want a kiss in this hour, Pansy will have to do."

"You can't steal Hermione for the hour," Dean Thomas protested. "I've been looking forward to kissing her all week."

"Sorry Thomas, she's all mine," Draco said, turning back to Hermione. "Now where were we?" He asked as he plucked a sickle from his bag and dropped it in the pot, before one again connecting their lips.

"They won't last all hour," Hermione said when they broke apart for the second time.

"Let's just see how long they do last," Draco said with a shrug, plucking another sickle from the bag and grabbing another kiss.

As it turned out Draco's bag of sickles lasted for just over half an hour into Hermione's hour in the kissing booth. When he dropped the last sickle into the pot, Hermione thought their kisses had come to an end, as did other people who once again began to queue behind Draco for their turn in kissing Hermione. However, Draco wasn't one to be beaten and he pulled a second bag of sickles from his cloak and dropped it beside the empty bag. Hermione chuckled at her boyfriend's cunning as the boys behind him once again dispersed, moaning about the fact they wouldn't get a kiss off Hermione.

"Let's get through this next bag," Draco said, transferring one of the sickles into the pot.

By the time Hermione's hour in the kissing booth was over, Draco had made his way through his second bag of sickles. Hermione wasn't sure how much her boyfriend had spent, but she was betting it was more than any of the other girls would make on the kissing booths that day. In fact she suspected the money he'd spent kissing her amounted to more than some of the other attractions would make over the course of the day as they'd tried not to make things too expensive so that everyone could enjoy the day, not just those with money.

"That was so unfair," Pansy moaned as she and Hermione stood down from the booths and passed the job over to the Patil twins. "How could I compete with Draco? He must have spent a fortune kissing you."

"I know, he's crazy," Hermione replied. "It's not like he has to pay to kiss me. He could have gotten all them kisses for free if he'd just waited."

"But then other boys would have kissed you, and I couldn't have that," Draco said, throwing his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Blaise was certainly hoping for a kiss."

"I was," Blaise said with a wistful sigh. "But Draco's always been possessive. It's no real surprise that he went to such extreme lengths to make sure no-one else kissed his girlfriend."

"I suppose it's romantic in a way," Pansy conceded. "Even if it has cost me a sandwich and a drink."

"Don't worry about that, it wasn't exactly a fair bet," Hermione said. "Why don't you come with us after we've dropped our money off with Snape, and Draco can buy us all something to eat. After all, he is splashing the cash today."

"It is for a good cause," Draco replied with a grin as the foursome headed off to get some food and enjoy the rest of the fair.

Draco himself wasn't sure how much he'd spent in the last hour, but he did know that it had all been worth it. Every single sickle had been well spent as it ensured that no-one else had gotten the pleasure of kissing his girlfriend. He would do it all again if he had to, and he didn't regret a single piece of silver that had left his possession. It had all been worth it to get some Christmas kisses from the witch he was head over heels in love with.

* * *

 **A/N - This is the last collection piece for this year, so I will be marking this story as finished. There's a good chance I'll be adding to it next year, but until nearer the time I have no idea what form my christmas stories will take next year (although I am hoping to do a few longer stories). But for now, this collection is over. Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it. Merry Christmas everyone!**


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